Being One Of Jeff Bezos' Designated 'Bar Raisers' Is Like Having A Second Job You Don't Get Paid To Do

When it comes to Amazon's hiring methodology, look no further than a full-time Amazon worker — dubbed a "bar raiser."

A "bar raiser", reports the Wall Street Journal, is a skilled evaluator who already holds a job with Amazon and plays a crucial role in the company's hiring process. Bar raisers interview job candidates for a variety of different roles in different parts of Amazon's workforce.

Bar raisers have the ability to veto any candidate, the Wall Street Journal writes, "even if their expertise is in an area that has nothing to do with the prospective employee's."

The implementation of bar raisers was something that began in Amazon's infancy and something that Jeff Bezos stands by, as it helps weed out the "cultural misfits." Bezos says that the bar raisers help ensure that Amazon makes good hiring choices by forcing several diverse full-time employees to sign off on one candidate.

But some employees are less than thrilled with its presence in their company's culture.

Being a bar raiser comes with no extra pay but demands a lot of time from those who are designated to the role. Employees say it's an honor, but a burden.

According to the Wall Street Journal, bar raisers may be asked to assess "as many as 10 candidates a week," for between two and three hours each, including paperwork and meetings—all while doing their regular full-time job, be it in finance, marketing or product development." Not every job candidate faces a bar raiser (most warehouse employees go through a separate streamlined process).